How much did your classes cost?

[GreenleafGreyhound]

I am going crazy over here. Apparently, the Bay Area of CA has no concept of "moderately priced" or affordable

Here are some samples of Basic Obedience:
One shelter offers a 3-step plan.
Step 1 (5 week course) is for dogs, 6 months or older, who have no prior training. This costs 125$ normally, but they offer a 50$ discount for dogs adopted in the Alameda or Contra Costa County. This step covers loose leash walking, sit, stay, down, and the first steps to a successful recall. Basically, it deals with puppy behavior and getting a few basic commands down.

Step 2 (4 week course) requires instructor approval or participation in Step 1. So you can't jump into it, basically. Cost is 125$ normally, but 50$ for dogs adopted in Alameda of Contra Costa county. Step 2 polishes basic commands and incorporates distractions.

Step 3 (4 week course) requires instructor approval or participation in Step 2. Again, you can't jump into it. Cost-same as above. The purpose is to polish commands (again) and incorporate more and more distractions, focus, and 'advanced' commands (though they don't tell you exactly what is included in the package). Off leash work will be included.

Now for my op. This all sounds nice and dandy, but I'm not even sure if Tracy is considered part of the Contra Costa county. If it's not, I'm stuck paying 375$ for basic/intermediate (Step 3 is actually intermediate ob.) obedience. Hmm...okay, I'll keep looking.

Next example:
The shelter I work at offers an 6 week course for dogs who have no prior training experience. The cost is 110$, and the commands Sit, Stay, Down, Wait, Stand, Leave it (love this command and I will definitely need it to be incorporated into the class), Come and Heel will be taught.
Their Intermediate classes cost 110$ for 6 weeks. Again, the recall will be emphasized and worked on.

These are the two that I've narrowed it down to. I e-mailed a couple of private trainers and only one of them has sighthound experience. One even said that basic obedience applies to all dog breeds and that he can train a sighthound, regardless of experience or no. I was horrified because training a Golden Retriever is SOOOOO much different from training a Greyhound. I crossed him off my list. The one trainer who told me they had experience with sighthounds, again, has a 3-step plan. Basic 1 (basic basic ob.) and Basic 3 (intermediate) are 200$ each. Basic 2 is 125$.
Basic 1 and 3 are offered together for 350$. *wipes forehead*

Phew...Can anybody shed some light on the "norm"? I know some people who've went as low as 80$ for 6-week classes. PLEASE Tell me where you live!!!!!

[doberkim]

that sounds about normal for most quality classes. there are places that offer them cheaper. but by and large every place i have found that is "cheap" in price, is normally "cheap" in information and training ability.

bowies classes:
125 for an 8 week beginner
125 for a 7 week clicker/graduate class
125 for a 6 week rally class
140 for a 7-8 week (cant remember) attention course
25 a class drop in for a novice brush up (125 if i wanted to take the 7 week course)
70/hr for privates with trainer
50/hr for privates with another trainer
25 for 2 hour clicker workshop
this past week i paid 8 bucks for a 2 hour rally workshop

the cheapest quality classes i have found are with obedience club s- however, most of their beginner/puppy classes are NOT cheaper, because they charge 90-150 for the course. its only when you get to novice, utility, etc that they do cheap classes (8-15 bucks a night for drop ins).

personally almost all of my classes have been worth the price. in my area, if you pay 80 bucks, you are almost guaranteed to be getting a low end class. many of my classes have been with top people in the field - my rally class was taught by one of the top judges in APDT and now AKC. my attention course was with a trainer who competes with her OTCH dogs, who travels the east coast giving seminars.

i prefer not to take ANY classes without going and either have a private eval first, or watching the trainer do a class tha ti can observe (or both). i need to make sure i approve of methods, that i like the trainer, that bowie is comfortable, etc. i want to make sure that the class we are taking is appropriate for our level (i have taken one class we were too advanced for and in the beginning it was a waste of money, until i was allowed to do what i wanted in class and used the other dogs simply as a distraction). i want ot make sure they are copacetic with my training methodology, they understand what i am doing, and they are prepared to deal with a dog lik ebowie.
class fees aint the half of it- its the TRIAL FEES!! i can easily spend 100 bucks entering a weekend of shows - not including food, travel, hotel etc.

*broke kim*

[sheltiepups]

$80 for 8-week beginning manner class
$70 for 8-week rally class
$70 for 8 week rally class two
$70 for 8 week rally class three

mine were cheaper then everyone elses I think because of where I live, I can't really think of any other reason.

[flyndog]

First off, I have sighthound experience, have been told by sighthound owners that their dogs must be trained differently than other dogs. They have been pleasantly surprised at how their dog can be trained the same way a golden retrienver can be trained. Yes, they are different. No, they aren't THAT different. The concession I make is the use of a nylon slip collar because their necks are almost the same size as their heads and they will come out of a buckle collar.
In Miami, FL I charged $145 for 6 weeks of basic puppy training. That includes pay attention, leave it, sit, down, loose leash walking, stay and come when called in addition to individual problems or concerns. In Marfa I charge $45. It is a depressed area and the people who need the training the most must be able to afford it. Even at that, some people have to pay me in 2 installments. If it keeps a dog out of the pound, I've done my job.
Beginning and Advanced Obedience are 6 weeks for $165 in Miami, $65 here in Marfa. Same reason.
Private instruction and private training are $30/hour. Behavior mod ranges from $50 - $100/hour based on the problem and the situation.
Kit

[Carrie]

Like just about anything else, the cost of such services is going to vary depending on what part of the country you're in. My obedience class is $60.00 for a 5 week course and agility-$10.00 each time.

[sunny98]

Geez is has been just a few years since I have gone to school! LOL I think I paid about $60 for a 6 week course. One would think I would remember since I spent about 1 1/2 years in general obiedience! LOL Not because Sunny couldn't figure it out but because I was trying to socialize her.

Erin, Sunny and the gang

[GreenleafGreyhound]

Well, NOW it's similar training Giselle to a Golden Retriever . However, I had to spend a month or so familiarizing Giselle with the Sit position. I'm very proud because, now, she doesn't scoot herself into a sit from a Down. Y'know? Ex-racers, especially, have little quirks that make them different. I chose to teach Sit before starting classes because I knew some owners who went to classes and their trainers had no prior sighthound experience. What happened was that the trainers could not persuade the dog to sit, and the owners had to lug dog beds to class so their dog would do Down while everyone else was doing Sit. This is mostly why I wanted a trainer who has sighthound experience, particularly ex-racers.

So I guess the prices *aren't* that different, huh? Darn, I posted about this on GT and I saw people who had some very low prices for wonderful trainers. Hm, I worded that wrong...LOL. I'm probably going to be applying to my own shelter's program because I have seen them training. In fact, they gave me a little tutorial during my training. They're 110% Positive Reinforcement. Even volunteers at the shelter are discouraged from using NO. In their opinion, ignorance is the best 'negative' reinforcement. Giselle's *really really really* submissive and a moderately loud NO controls her like an on/off button. A few other trainers that I interviewed used prong collars in the most malicious ways (One of my friend's recommended trainers used the prong and pulled her Golden off his feet to prevent him from pulling. Horrific!). I crossed them off my list. Well, I'm off to count out the money I save for the animals!

[flyndog]

Greenleaf, it sounds like your shelter has a great program. I'm curious: Do they use clickers, especially to train dogs that are afraid of people?

Yep, sighthounds hate to sit! I think they don't know what to do with their tails and they get in the way. Also, I've found that if they can sit on a mat or something instead of a hard surface, they are happier about it. Prong collars are nasty.

Kit

[BXRchic]

Wow, it is expensive over there!

Here in Pittsburgh, I've been paying $110 for a 9-11 week course (depending on the class).
So far, we've done Puppy Kindergarten and two obedience classes (the obs are the 9 week classes @ 110).

[Barrett]

I just went to PetsMart for Bailey's training. They use gentle methods and I only do it for the socialization anyway. I know how to train my dogs and I am going to use my methods if they work for me. The trainers are not professional and only go to a month long course to train for PetsMart. I have small dogs that don't have many social problems, I wouldn't really recommend Petsmart for any larger dog that had major problems. Baileys classes cost 99 dollars for an 8 week course and they were lots of fun. The trainers were great and I can tell they really love their job and their dogs.

[flyndog]

Petsmart used to use Animal Behavior College (online course) graduates. Some are good, some really stink. The graduates have to get on hands-on experience with dogs from somewhere. I thought Petsmart still used them, but not through ABC's official "mentorship" program. I could be mistaken, though (who? me? ). Thanks for that info, Barrett.

[Rip's Girl]

I've recently started working with a trainer in my area (Well, actually Dakota got the job, he's the demo pup, I'm just the person on the end of the leash ) so my classes are all free, but normally she charges $90 for a 6 week beginner's course.
BUT, I think it's so inexpensive because it's in my area. I am going with her to an intermediate/advanced off-leash obedience class in Tucson, and it's $180 for 8 weeks. And that's for an advanced class.. Beginners classes are about $250 for 12 weeks.
It's pricey, but it's a very reputable training center, specializing in training for obedience competition. It'll be worth my money in the long run, especially when I begin showing Dakota.

[Barrett]

Kit


I was looking up PetsMart classes online to see what they have to do for certification and I read that they do use ABC. During a few of my classes we had a person shadowing the class because she had just finished her program for certification. I asked my trainer what she has to do for training and she just said she has a home course and a month of on the job training. Thats why I thought it was just a month long training course. I actually feel better about taking my dogs to PetsMart for training now. It looks like they went through an extensive at home course to get their certifications. Pretty cool. (so Flyndog you were still right! LOL )

[flyndog]

Thanks, Barrett. I thought maybe they'd changed. BTW, the certificate is only a certificate of completion from that particular course. It doesn't necessarily impress other trainers. There are a lot harder schools to go to, and certificates from independant testing agencies that hold more weight. I turned down a mentorship for one of their students. They wanted to pay me about $10/hour (do you want fries with that?) to have my competition pick my brain for 18 weeks. No thanks. I blew their telephone interview by refusing to speak enough psycho babble.

[GreenleafGreyhound]

LOL! I'll always use PetSmart for socialization and cheap wire crates! Oh yeah, and their awesome scale 99$ for 8 weeks, here, too. But I usually don't trust large chain companies with training or grooming.

Flyndog, Yup! Our shelter thrives on Positive Reinforcement and clickers. They have one course devoted to clickers and neat tricks you can teach with the clickers. I have one, but I think I'm not using it correctly so Better get started on that training! Gissie sits on any surface now. While she hates linoleum (SP?) and hardwood, she tolerates them very well. Of course, her sits last no longer than 30 seconds, but it's a start!